OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.
Fast Facts:
- There were some glitches for people using Ontario's vaccine appointment booking system on its first day, but tens of thousands of appointments have been pencilled in.
- The head of Ottawa's vaccine rollout taskforce says he expects everyone 80 and older in Ottawa to have their first vaccine shots by April 7.
- Ottawa's COVID-19 monitoring trends are moving closer to "Red-Control" status.
- A COVID-19 outbreak has closed a Gatineau restaurant temporarily.
COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):
- New COVID-19 cases: 75 cases yesterday
- Total COVID-19 cases: 15,637
- COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 45.5
- Positivity rate in Ottawa: 2.5 per cent (Mar. 8 to Mar. 14)
- Reproduction Number: 1.10 (seven day average)
Testing:
Who should get a test?
Ottawa Public Health says there are five reasons to seek testing for COVID-19:
- You are showing COVID-19 symptoms. OR
- You have been exposed to a confirmed case of the virus, as informed by Ottawa Public Health or exposure notification through the COVID Alert app. OR
- You are a resident or work in a setting that has a COVID-19 outbreak, as identified and informed by Ottawa Public Health. OR
- You are eligible for testing as part of a targeted testing initiative directed by the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Long-Term Care. OR
- You have traveled to the U.K., or have come into contact with someone who recently traveled to the U.K., please go get tested immediately (even if you have no symptoms).
Where to get tested for COVID-19 in Ottawa:
There are several sites for COVID-19 testing in Ottawa. To book an appointment, visit https://www.ottawapublichealth.ca/en/shared-content/assessment-centres.aspx
- The Brewer Ottawa Hospital/CHEO Assessment Centre: Open Monday to Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- COVID-19 Drive-thru assessment centre at National Arts Centre: Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- The Moodie Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- The Heron Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- The Ray Friel Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Vaccine eligibility screening tool:
To check and see if you are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Ottawa, click here.
COVID-19 screening tool:
The COVID-19 screening tool for students heading back to in-person classes can be found here.
Symptoms:
Classic Symptoms: fever, new or worsening cough, shortness of breath
Other symptoms: sore throat, difficulty swallowing, new loss of taste or smell, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, pneumonia, new or unexplained runny nose or nasal congestion
Less common symptoms: unexplained fatigue, muscle aches, headache, delirium, chills, red/inflamed eyes, croup
First-day glitches stall some but tens of thousands of Ontarians book vaccine appointments
There were some first-day hiccups for people seeking to book their COVID-19 vaccine shots Monday as Ontario launched its COVID-19 vaccine appointment booking website and call centre, but the province says tens of thousands of appointments were booked successfully.
The province opened up appointments to anyone born in or before 1941 on Monday, through either their website or through a phone number. There were cases of people calling on the phone being redirected back to their local health units when they should have been, and some errors online where users received a message about a form that had been "tampered with."
The Ministry of Health said the technical issues were solved by the afternoon. Health Minister Christine Elliott called it a "minor issue" and said some glitches were to be expected on the first day.
According to the health ministry, more than 92,000 appointments for vaccines had been booked by Monday afternoon.
Locally, more than 4,000 people in Ottawa booked appointments through the portal on Monday.
80 and older group to have first vaccine shots by April 7
The head of Ottawa's local vaccination task force says he expects to see the next group of adults in the city booking appointments by the first week of April.
Emergency and Protective Services General Manager Anthony Di Monte told CTV News at Noon he expects anyone 80 and older in Ottawa who wants a vaccine will have one in the next three weeks.
"When we open our four sites, we sense that probably April 7, some 40,000 people in this age group could be vaccinated by then," Di Monte said. "As long as we get the vaccine that they've confirmed we're getting and the system works and there's no glitches and everybody gets to register, we'll get through this age group by then and we'll be able to move onto others."
This is for the first dose. The vaccines being administered require two shots, spaced up to four months apart before one is considered fully vaccinated.
The vaccine clinic at the Nepean Sportsplex is open now. The city will open its clinic at the Ruddy Family YMCA-YWCA on Wednesday, March 17. Clinics at the Eva James Memorial Centre and Ottawa City Hall will be up and running by March 23.
Di Monte stressed that despite some long waits and computer glitches on the first day of booking, vaccine appointments aren't going anywhere.
"Even if you don't get on this afternoon and you only get on tomorrow, we have the vaccines, the four sites will be open, up and running, we have the capacity. So if you get on and you get an appointment, whether it's today, tomorrow, the next day, at that appointment, when you arrive, there will be a vaccine waiting for you. You will get your dose of vaccine. Don't let these first-day glitches that the province is having deter you from getting your vaccine."
Ottawa moving closer to red zone
Ottawa is moving closer to the red zone.
On Monday, the city's incidence rate of cases per 100,000 population jumped to more than 45 (the threshold for red is 40) and the average testing positivity rate increased to 2.5 per cent, which is also in "red" status. The estimated reproduction number remains just below the red level of 1.2.
The city remains in the "Orange-Restrict" category for now. When asked whether Ottawa could move to "Red-Control" this week, Health Minister Christine Elliott told Newstalk 580 CFRA's "Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron" that the province is monitoring closely.
Moving to "Red-Control" would cut gathering limits to five people indoors and 25 outdoors, allow only 10 people inside restaurant dining rooms at a time, and cut capacity limits for retail establishments to 75 per cent for supermarkets that sell groceries and 50 per cent for most other stores, including big box retailers.
Ottawa Public Health reported another 75 cases of COVID-19 on Monday and two additional deaths in the city.
Outbreak closes Gatineau restaurant
Public health officials in Gatineau are warning of a COVID-19 outbreak at The British Pub & Restaurant in Aylmer.
The Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de l'Outaouais confirmed the outbreak at the pub on Rue Principale on Monday.
Officials say there have been fewer than five cases among workers, and the risk is considered low.
The owner has closed the restaurant temporarily, the CISSS de l’Outaouais said in a news release.
Anyone who visited the restaurant between March 5 and 12 should self-monitor for symptoms and call 1-877-644-4545 if they develop them. They can also access the COVID-19 self-assessment tool here.
